Concord to make local elections more accessible to blind

The move stems from a recent agreement between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice; five years after Guy Woodland complained that he needed to have his wife or a trusted colleague fill out his ballot for him. The Concord Monitor reports the DOJ found Concord violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing Woodland with an accessible and private voting system.

The agreement only applies the city’s municipal elections, although city officials say the school district and the city choices appear on the same ballot. Federal and state elections have been required to be accessible under the Help America Vote Act since 2002.